The term "booting" refers to a process of loading and executing programs, principally those comprising a basic input/output system ("BIOS") and an operating system, in order to prepare a computer system for use by a user. The booting process is said to be made up of a number of operations generally performed by either the BIOS or the operating system. These operations include diagnostic operations, which attempt to diagnose problems with the computer system, installed devices, or the software configuration of the computer system. As BIOSes and operating systems continue to evolve and the number of devices commonly installed in computer systems increases, the number and duration of operations invoked during the booting process increases. At the same time, consumers continue to demand that computers become usable a shorter period of time after they are switched on, which in turn requires an overall reduction of the time requirements of the booting process.
Based on the foregoing, an automated facility that expedited the booting process by omitting certain operations during iterations of the booting process in which the performance of these operations is unnecessary would have significant utility.